Phoenix upsets Los Angeles in Game 1 of West semis

Diana Taurasi scored 30 points to lead the Mercury over the Sparks on Thursday night in the opener of their best-of-three Western Conference semifinals series.

Candice Dupree added 16 points and DeWanna Bonner had 13 for Phoenix, which snapped the Sparks’ six-game home winning streak. Phoenix has dealt the Sparks two of their three losses in 18 games at Staples Center this season.

Phoenix pulled away to the game’s first double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, helped by six consecutive points from Dupree. Brittney Griner’s basket for the Mercury made it 79-69 with less than 2 minutes left. Griner had 10 points.